Lesbians being anti-trans is a lesbophobic trope
Lesbians being anti-trans is a lesbophobic trope
Amy Ashenden, Interim CEO of Just Like Us, is dispelling the harmful trope that lesbians are against the trans community.
I think a lot of the stigma comes from terfs* and attempts from the alt-right to sow division to divide and conquer. Terfs often present themselves as lesbians and are extremely vocal about how only cis women are lesbian, trans women aren't women, etc. Then you have other aspects of the alt-right who talk about how trans women aren't real women and real lesbians will know the difference. The result is that it looks like there are more people with these beliefs than there actually are (the alt-right is very, very good at harnessing social media to make themselves seem louder than they actually are).
I know this isn't the case, I consciously am aware that the vast majority of lesbians are supportive of trans people. I know a number of people who are lesbian and are very much supportive of the trans community. And yet, this belief has been so deeply sown that I still find myself questioning whether someone is a real ally or not. I hate that.
* Fuck letting terfs rebrand as "gender critical". I believe people can be critical towards the concept of gender and believe we should be moving away from associating behavior and personality traits with someone's sex, while still being supportive of trans and non-binary folks.
51I 100% believe it's because the terfs feel super empowered right now because they have a popular and rich children's author on their side. Sometimes it doesn't matter how small the group is when they have all the money to tweak the laws as they see fit.
Since very few people are educated in seeing that, it continues this terrible cycle of fear and assumption.
11I agree. As a newly realized member of this community this stuff is very difficult and disheartening for me. It makes me afraid to pursue finding a more authentic self, because, what if I end up more alone? I already have a very lonely life, and can't imagine becoming more unlovable.
6Seek out others in the community, we are all here for you!! :)
While I also can't say this as a 100% guarantee, it's a pretty common story for those seeking their more authentic self to become happier and that usually helps them find and maintain some social ties easier! It's amazing how much more comfortable and confident you can be when you're really you, and other people love being around someone like that! (This was the case for myself and like 5 other people I know out of my rather already small friend group)
I hope you find somewhere where you can put those anxieties to rest for a bit <3
9
Lesbians are consistently the demographic most likely to be supportive of trans folks. From the article:
Lesbians are the most likely to say they know a trans person (92%), and also the most likely to say they are “supportive” or “very supportive” of trans people (96%). That’s compared to 89% of LGBTQ+ people overall, and just 69% of non-LGBTQ+ people.
30What was the demographic of the study? Honestly that 69% of non LGBTQ+ people is surprisingly high imo
14The crazy far-right people are a minority, they're just very loud and obnoxious. Normal people don't care about stuff that doesn't affect them or anyone else.
19I recently went on a trans rights march in a large city in the South through an area heavily trafficked by tourists mainly from the South. We got only demonstrations of support and they were pretty regular. If there were people around who were against us they felt like they didn't want to manifest that objection around the openly supportive people surrounding them. We did get an objection from a very passionate person when it was suggested someone on city council wasn't living up to their promises, but his objection was not against trans rights.
12They only asked people with Swedish stuffed animals
7
Personal experiences will always vary too. I'm sadly a non-passing trans woman who identifies as a lesbian. Saying it's been impossible to find someone who would want to be with me is... putting it nicely. Some of that struggle is not tied into being trans, but my trans-ness is the thing they will interact with first and it has always meant they pass. But again this is just my own experience.
28I know it's incredibly disheartening, I just want to let you know that there's someone out there for you 🧡
8At this point I've had to give up on love. Sure it'd be great but I'm a realist. At least I'm not an incel lol No one owes me a relationship.
3
Now, this isn't a "gotcha" or intended to be snarky, I really am curious: Would you date another non-passing trans lesbian?
2I'm not really sure. It'd depend on their personality and such since I have no sexual attraction to penis which means sex is a no. Which is the same issue that a cis lesbian is going to have and I am understanding of that. Other elements impact it that have nothing to do with a person trans status or lack of.
I'm not saying all cis lesbians are out there shitting on trans women. It's honestly likely a minority. But they are going to seek out a partner that matches their personal criteria and I'm understanding of that.
1
They will always try to put minorities against each other.
24So much of a trope it even showed up in Sense8.
7Can confirm that lesbians are generally friendly to transgender people. I know at least one lesbian friend who dated pre-ops transwoman. Not sure if I can do the same but I have no problem being friends with transwomen.
5